Leader of the Opposition Dr Shafiqur Rahman has rejected the suggestion that a single individual masterminded the 2024 July mass uprising, saying the movement belonged to the people of Bangladesh.
Speaking on a point of order in Parliament on Sunday, the Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami leader said the country's 18 crore people were the real force behind the uprising.
“We do not accept that there was a single mastermind behind this movement. We want to give credit to our young generation. The real mastermind is 18 crore people of Bangladesh,” he said.
Shafiqur Rahman said those who led the movement to its success deserved the highest respect and recognition.
“I think we all, from the core of our hearts, respect and love those under whose leadership the uprising succeeded,” he said. “Their dignity and rightful place must be preserved.”
The opposition leader also referred to remarks made by former interim government Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus during a visit to the United States, where he introduced former adviser Mahfuj Alam as the mastermind of the July movement.
Shafiqur Rahman said he had been the first to object to that characterisation.
“Even when Dr Yunus, during his visit to the United States, referred to one person as the mastermind, I was the first to protest and say that we do not accept the idea of a single mastermind behind this movement,” he said.
